The Motorola Razr phone is coming back.
Once one of the most popular smartphones in Australia the original flip phone is being revived as a smartphone with a foldable screen and a starting price of roughly US$1,500.
The only problem is that Lenovo the owners of the Motorola brand are only going to launch the brand in the USA with the first model tipped for February.
Motorola first released the ultrathin Razr V3 flip phone in 2004, and it became an overnight status symbol in Australia.
Thousands flocked to stores when Manchester United hero David Beckham was bought to Australia to promote the Razer. At the time Motorola was run by Andrew Vollard who went on to become CEO of Telstra’s mobile operation.
The company ended up selling more than 130 million units globally.
In the USA Motorola is partnering with Verizon Communications in an exclusive deal to begin selling the new Razr devices. According to the Wall Street Journal the device is still being tested.
At this stage Lenovo plans to only manufacture 200,000 of the new high-end phones, the people said. However, sources have e told ChannelNews that if the device is successful in the USA it could be rolled out as a limited-edition smartphone worldwide.
In Australia the Motorola brand is struggling and has been forced to operate in the budget market selling devices at supermarkets and petrol stations.
Motorola has tried to revive the Razr franchise before, including in 2011 when it launched a handset called the Droid Razr.
Shortly Samsung plans to launch a foldable smartphone at an event in San Francisco on February 20th.
